QuarterbackNumber kept last season: ThreeCurrently on roster: FourAverage number kept since 2008: ThreeLocks: Matt Flynn, Russell WilsonLooking good: Tavaris JacksonLonger odds: Josh PortisComment – This position experienced an extreme makeover from last season, with Seattle adding what it hopes are significant upgrades in Flynn and Wilson to increase the overall performance from this position. My opinion is even though Jackson is in the final year of his contract, if he does not win the starting job the Seahawks likely will keep him. Seattle believes this team is on the cusp of a deep playoff run, and you can’t do that without having two veteran quarterbacks that can step in and win games for you. I think this will be mostly a learning year for Wilson. And don’t count out Portis; the organization still likes him as a player and he’ll be given a chance to prove he can be a part of the equation moving forward.

Running backNumber kept last season: FourCurrently on roster: SevenAverage number kept since 2008: 4.75Locks: Marshawn Lynch, Leon Washington and Michael RobinsonLooking good: Robert TurbinLonger odds: Kregg Lumpkin, Tyrell Sutton, Vai Taua,Comment – Turbin and Lumpkin will compete for the backup spot behind Lynch. Both are big, physical backs that should provide a similar running style when Lynch is out of the game. Lynch carried the ball a career-high 285 times for 1,204 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, earning his second career Pro Bowl nod. The Seahawks would like to lessen his carries this season so that Lynch is healthy should they make the playoffs. Washington is penciled in as the third-down back with Justin Forsett presumably not returning. But Sutton also provides some competition with a similar skill set. Taua spent most of last year on the practice squad and did a nice job giving the first-unit defense a good look on the scout team, but he’ll have to prove he’s more than a moving tackling dummy in his second season with Seattle.

Wide receiverNumber kept last season: SixCurrently on roster: 13Average number kept since 2008: 5.25Locks: Sidney Rice, Doug Baldwin, Ben Obomanu, Golden Tate.In the hunt: Kris Durham, Deon Butler, Ricardo Lockette, Mike Williams.Longer Odds: Charly Martin, Jermaine Kearse, Phil Bates, Lavasier Tuinei, Raymond Webber.Comment – I believe the overall talent level is above-average at this position. The problem is, that talent is largely unproven, leaving more questions than answers, which is why most league observers don’t understand why Seattle didn’t draft a receiver. Rice has only played all 16 games once in his five-year career, and he’s coming off two shoulder surgeries and concussion issues that cut short his 2011 campaign. Williams also struggled with injuries last season, and needs to get back to the conditioning level that helped him lead the team in receptions in 2010. Baldwin’s out to prove he’s more than a dependable slot receiver. Obomanu is versatile and steady, but had a chance to make some big plays late last year and came up short. Tate has the talent to be a No. 2 receiver, but in his third he needs to prove it. Lockette, or “Ch. 83”, has to prove he’s more than a track athlete and not revert to his Edward Scissorhands-like performance in training camp last year. Butler (Penn State’s all-time leading receiver by the way) has to continue to show he’s physical enough to consistently get off press coverage. Durham has to stay healthy long enough to prove his athleticism and ball skills were worthy of a fourth round selection.

Tight endNumber kept last season: ThreeCurrently on roster: FiveAverage number kept since 2008: 3.25Locks: Zach MillerLooking good: Anthony McCoy, Cameron MorrahIn the hunt: John Nalbone.Longer odds:Sean McGrathComment – Miller finished with a career-low 25 receptions in his first year in Seattle, but part of the reason for his drop in performance is the Seahawks needed him to stay in and protect Tarvaris Jackson in passing situations. Miller, Morrah and McCoy all struggled with drops this season, but McCoy had the most with five drops. Morrah is the most explosive of the three, and has the ability to line up as a receiver on the perimeter. McCoy has the most talent, but has yet to live up to his potential. Nalbone is a smooth athlete with enough speed to work the middle of the defense, but also enough bulk to be an effective run blocker. He’s a name to watch for in the tight end battle.

Offensive lineNumber kept last season: 9Currently on roster: 15Average number kept since 2008: 9.5Locks: Russell Okung, Paul McQuistan, Max Unger, John Moffitt, James Carpenter, Lemuel Jeanpierre, Breno GiacominiLooking good : Deuce Lutui, Frank Omiyale, Allen Barbre, Brent Osborne.In the hunt: Paul Fanaika, J.R. SweezyLonger odds: Rishaw Johnson, Jon Opperud.Comment – With offensive line coach Tom Cable at the helm, Seattle finally figured out how to run the zone blocking scheme after four years of trial and error. Paul McQuistan and Breno Giacomini both proved their value by capably filling in for injured tackles Russell Okung and James Carpenter when they went down with injuries for the year, and were brought back in free agency. McQuistan is penciled in at left guard and Giacomini at right tackle. Carpenter had ACL knee surgery in November and might not be ready in time for training camp, but Okung (torn pectoral muscle) and starting right guard Moffitt (MCL knee surgery) should be ready. Cable turned this group, considered a weakness of the team, into one of the deeper units in terms of depth for Seattle.

Defensive lineNumber kept last season: EightCurrently on roster: 16Average number kept since 2008: 9.25Locks:Chris Clemons, Red Bryant, Alan Branch, Brandon Mebane, Clinton McDonald, Bruce Irvin, Jason Jones, Jaye Howard.In the hunt:Pep Levingston, Dexter Davis, Pierre Allen, Jameson Konz, Greg Scruggs.Longer odds:Adrian Taylor, Cordarro Law, Monte Taylor.Comment – Don’t get it twisted. Bryant may talk with a easy-going country twang and you’re lucky to get more than a handful of words out of the earnest Mebane – but that duo along with Clemons will gangster-slap you for your lunch money. The Seahawks only gave up 3.8 rushing yards a carry – fourth in the league. Seattle’s stout defensive line sets the tone for the entire defense. Clemons once against proved he’s one of the better pass rushers in the league with a team-high 11 sacks last season. Seattle hopes they’ve added another solid edge rusher and an eventual replacement for Clemons by drafting Bruce Irvin in the first round. Bryant finished with three blocked field goals and an extra point, and is stout against the run on the edge of the defense. Bryant has more value to Seattle than other teams throughout the league because of his ability to stuff the run. Jones should provide more of an inside pass rush on third down. Carroll expects Davis and Konz, if both are healthy, to provide more speed off the edge in pass rush situations along with being core players on special teams

LinebackersNumber kept last season: SevenCurrently on roster: NineAverage number kept since 2008: 6.25Locks: K.J. Wright, Leroy Hill, Bobby Wagner, Heath Farwell, Korey Toomer.In the hunt: Barrett Rudd, Matt McCoy, Mike Morgan, Malcolm Smith, Allen Bradford, Adrian Moten.Comment – I get it. Pete Carroll and John Schneider do not value the middle linebacker position as highly as their predecessor Tim Ruskell. It’s why Seattle released a hobbled Lofa Tatupu rather than pay him $4.35 million in base salary in 2011. And it’s the reason the Seahawks let David Hawthorne, the team’s leading tackler the past three seasons, sign with New Orleans in free agency. But hey, even with a nasty front that does a nice job of keeping the linebackers clean, someone has to scrape, fill the right gap and make the tackles. Along with doing that the past three seasons, Hawthorne was considered one of the more cerebral players on the team. And he also made game-changing plays, evidenced by his seven interceptions and six sacks in three years as a starter. Second-round draft choice Bobby Wagner has some big shoes to fill. I know he finished with 445 tackles as a four-year starter at Utah State, but that was largely against teams like Idaho, Colorado State and Hawaii – not the Niners, Cowboys and Packers. Wagner also had four career interceptions and 4.5 sacks in 48 games for the Aggies.
The Seahawks could move Wright to middle linebacker if Wagner struggles to pick up the defense. Barrett Ruud and Matt McCoy also are veteran options to man the middle. And another player to watch is Allen Bradford, a thumper who played running back at USC but is being converted to a middle linebacker by Pete Carroll. Second-year pro Malcolm Smith could provide the coveted speed Carroll is looking for at linebacker, but needs to stay healthy.

CornerbacksNumber kept last season: SixCurrently on roster: 11Average number kept since 2008: FiveLocks: Richard Sherman, Brandon Browner, Walter Thurmond, Byron Maxwell.Looking good: Marcus Trufant, Roy Lewis, Jeremy Lane.On the bubble: Phillip Adams.
Longer odds: Ron Parker, Coye Francies, London Durham.Comment – Cornerback Brandon Browner made the trip to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl for the 2011 season, finishing with a team-high six interceptions, including one returned for a franchise-record 94-yard touchdown to seal a win over the New York Giants 35-26 in Week 5 of the 2011 season. Browner also returned an interception at Chicago 42 yards for a score, and finished with a franchise-record 220 interception return yards. He led the league in pass deflections with 29. Second-year pro Richard Sherman isn’t far behind, finishing with four interceptions and 55 tackles in just 10 starts as a rookie. Veteran Marcus Trufant returns on a one-year deal and will be used in nickel situations, along with special teams player Roy Lewis. The Seahawks had one of the better tackling cornerback tandems, only giving up 6.9 yards per completion, tied for 10th overall in the league.

SafetiesNumber kept last season: FiveCurrently on roster: FiveAverage number kept since 2008: 4.25Locks:Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor.In the hunt: Jeron Johnson, Chris Maragos, Winston GuyComment – The Seahawks have perhaps the best young safety tandem in the league with Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. Both are good cover guys in the slot and are thumpers in run support, providing Seattle with scheme versatility because the Seahawks do not have to flip flop the safeties from strong to weak side to adjust to formation shifts. Maragos finished second on the team with 11 special teams tackles and did a nice job backing up Thomas. Johnson played well during training camp to earn the backup job at strong safety, and is emerging as a special teams player. Guy could work himself on the field in certain sub packages as an in-the-box safety.

SpecialistsSpecialists kept last season: ThreeCurrently on roster: FourAverage number kept since 2008: 3.25Locks: (P) Jon Ryan, (LS) Clint Gresham.Looking good: (K) Steven Hauschka.Longer odds: (K) Carson WiggsComment: After a solid first season, Seattle’s special teams had some struggles in year two for special teams coach Brian Schneider. The Seahawks gave up two punt returns for touchdowns and a kickoff return for a score, which heavily contributed to losses at San Francisco and at home against Cincinnati in 2011. And after a spectacular first season in Seattle that included three touchdowns on kickoffs, Leon Washington managed just a long of 54 yards last season. However, kicker Steven Hauschka was solid in his first season in Seattle, finishing 25 of 30 in field goals attempts with a long of 52 yards. Hauschka recently signed his restricted free agent tender and was at OTAs last week. And the Seahawks had the seventh-best special teams unit according to Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News’ annual comprehensive overview. Seattle finished fourth overall last year. Wiggs is a strong-footed kicker out of Purdue. Wiggs hit a 67-yard field goal during Purdue’s Spring game in 2011.

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Gregg Bell joined The News Tribune in July 2014. Bell had been the director of writing for the University of Washington's athletic department for four years. He was the senior national sports writer in Seattle for The Associated Press from 2005-10, covering the Seahawks in their first Super Bowl season and beyond. He's also been The Sacramento Bee's beat writer on the Oakland Athletics and Raiders. The native of Steubenville, Ohio, is a 1993 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and a 2000 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism.

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Eric says: I have the Seahawks at 92 players on the roster with two draft picks currently unsigned in fourth rounders Robert Turbin and Jaye Howard, so the team still has some wiggle room on the 90-man roster.

No they don’t. They have to cut two guys to get to 90 and have to cut another two guys to sign the fourth round picks. Where’s the wiggle? What is it I don’t understand?

Like Eric, I simply don’t understand how / why people devalue Obomanu’s talent. To quote Schneider: “… he’s (Obo) is one of the most underrated receivers in the league.” While I personally wouldn’t go quite that far, he is ridiculously underrated by Seahawk fans.

Wiggs hit a 67-yard field goal during Purdue’s Spring game in 2011.
Maybe PC thought he had Wiggs on the team last year in the Atlanta game.

Obo is probably the easiest lock after Rice. He’s not flashy, but he’s competent and can play any of the WR positions when needed. Everyone else is pretty much limited to a specific spot. Tate is probably the best to take his starting spot, but I don’t see it happening. At this point, I think BMW will be the odd man out.

I’m feeling much better about the LB group after the draft. I would guess Rudd and Matt McCoy would be in the looking good category though. Lots of good depth to choose from there.

The one place I’m really concerned is safety depth. Thomas is the key to making the Cover-1 work and there’s no one behind him. If he goes down, that coverage scheme goes out the window. Hopefully, the starters stay healthy all season here.

Eric REALLY nice breakdown on the roster. Obu will be 1 of the WR on the roster as mentioned he’s a special teams ace and he can make plays although I do wish it were a little more often who knows maybe that will be this year. I was thinking it very possible they keep 4 QB’s this year and they could do it. Using the numbers from last year they could keep 4 QB’s and 4 Safeties with Marcus Trufant being the swing guy. It just depends on if they value a likely special teamer over the long term potential of Portis/Wilson. I’m almost certain they keep Jackson. I know it’s not kosher but I also wonder if late in pre-season Wilson or Portis develop an “injury” that puts them on the DL for the season?

I really doubt they’ll keep 4 QBs on the roster. The numbers just don’t work, unless they decide to cut Washington and use a CB as a return specialist. A 4th QB is a luxury that comes at the expense of depth that has a good chance of contributing on the field during the season, even if it’s just special teams. The idea reminds me of Ruskill keeping 2 kickers. It’s basically a dead roster spot.

The unsigned draft picks count against the roster. Apparently a few of the undrafted rookie free agents are on invite status and are not under contract which would account for the 92 players. They can continue to add to their invite/tryout list in order to increase the number of players for their rookie mini-camp. After mini-camp expect some cuts if they intend to sign some of the unsigned undrafted rookies.

“I know it’s not kosher but I also wonder if late in pre-season Wilson or Portis develop an “injury” that puts them on the DL for the season?”

Kosher or not, you’re probably right, Palerydr. Portis will have a hangnail and go on IR for the season. They’ll save him for next year, when TJack will be on another team (assuming Wilson develops into a capable backup.

When T-Jack’s contract is up, I’d be fine with them looking for another QB in next year’s draft to turn into a high draft pick. I really don’t see Portis doing that. His checkered past is a big red flag for another team trading for him. It’s the one position where it really matters. He may have raw skills that can be developed, but I don’t see leadership skills after hopping around a bunch of colleges.

The LB battle will be interesting to watch. Whoever comes out as the backup Sam is likely to become a starter at some point whether it’s this or next season. Hill is starting to get up in age and his off the field run-ins may soon catch up to him.

I’m also hoping Konz will stay healthy enough to actually play a couple games. Anyone know if he still has another year of PS eligibility? He’s been on IR for almost all of his time in Seattle.

RDPoulsbo – Believe it or not, Carroll rotates the SS to the top in his cover-1 as often, if not more, that the FS. A lot of this depends on where the TE aligns. But if he’s inside the formation, he’s the Sam ‘backer’s or the Mike’s man, and the FS (Thomas) rotates down into the box to support the run, on the weak side. (That’s just one example, but Cam is over the top more than commonly thought.) Your point is valid however about needing depth at FS, regardless.

I like to watch the battles on the line more than coverage schemes, so I haven’t noticed much of how they played the safeties. I just assumed they played Cover-1 the way it’s typically diagrammed, thanks for the info.

The Seahawks will not keep 4 QB’s on the roster, that would take up a roster spot. I don’t think Wiggs make the team even with a strong leg. A lot of kickers have strong legs and are unemployeed, accuracy trumps distance…

RD – Against a trips set (Posse) which you know offenses quite a bit, the FS is the deep man (in their base 4-3) so as a % of plays, Thomas would certainly be the deep man a ton. But very generally speaking, this is what Carroll has to say about the FS in his cover-1:

“The free safety (FS) is playing down to the line of scrimmage on run plays and is responsible for the number two receiver to the weak side of the formation on pass plays. He plays the receiver as well with outside leverage. It should allow him to play really aggressive in the running game because the running back can not beat the free safety coming out of the backfield. The WLB and MLB are bracketed on the other running back playing him in and out with outside leverage. The corners are matched up with the WR’s man-to-man in this scheme.”

If the WR’s stay healthy I do not see Obo making this team. Ya he can play all the wr positions and is good on special teams but he has no upside and at the end of last year when he got playing time he dropped key passes. The last game against SF last year on the 1st drive he dropped a deep pass that TJack threw perfectly and should have been a TD and in the 3rd quarter he dropped a pass on 3rd down to keep a drive going. If he makes those catches Seattle wins that game so no matter how good he is on special teams I do not see him making this team.

Its a much better roster overall than we have seen in the previous few years. It seems that we will have to cut good players at several positions.

I am abit concerned about our safety position. Having Atari Bigby as a back-up safety is much better than having Maragos and / or Jeron Johnson as back-up. I am hoping that Winston Guy can play some special teams and outright win the back-up safety spot.

Unless Russell Wilson has an unbelievable camp they will keep TJack and try to move Portis to the practice squad. Personally, I would be surprised if any team ‘snapped up’ Portis in that situation.

Trufant is to small, does not tackle well enough and is way to injury prone to play safety.
Think Lockette makes the team and plays a lot as with his speed he will draw the safeties back opening up the underneath passes. From what I have seen of Flynn his strength is his touch on the shorter passes so I would think a player with Lockette’s skills will help his game a lot.

I like Thurmond but might be time to use that roster spot on someone else. He has missed a lot of time during his key development years and a CB with his list of leg and knee injuries has a steep hill to climb.

Trufant is actually a good tackler, especially in run support. His back issues are causing his coverage abilities to dropoff though. He’s also about the same size as Earl and an inch taller.

I may sound like I really hate Portis, but I’m just looking at the overall landscape when it comes to QBs around the league. He’s not going to be a #2 in Seattle anytime soon while you have guys like Kellen Moore going undrafted. There just isn’t a market to shop him around given the talent for #3s in the league.

I’m not sold on Lockette. He reminds me of Daryl Turner. He could outrun anyone on the field, only to drop the ball almost every time it comes to him…and no, 2 catches isn’t a good enough sample to say he’s fixed his dropsies.

BMW is expendable IMO. He does not do anything that our other, younger WRs can’t do. I do remember reading about him mentoring a youngin last year (Baldwin?) so in the sense that this WR Corps needs a mentor, he may have a leg up. But as far as on the field play, He doesn’t get as deep as Rice, he doesn’t have the route runner chops of Badlwin. he doesn’t have the toughness of Tate. Just don’t see how he sticks with this team liking it’s youth.

I think Lockette will always struggle to consistantly catch the ball but with his speed he will create a lot of space for the slot receivers and underneath passes and I think he will be a plus even if he is rarely thrown the ball.
I like Tru he is one of my favorite players but I can not think of a single big hit from him. And yes he may be bigger then Thomas but he does not throw his body around like Thomas does so I do not see Tru ever playing safety.

People complain about a guy like Obo until they give up a couple of TDs on special teams and then some of those very same people are the ones who complain about how the STs aren’t good enough and something needs to be done about them.

Look, I don’t think Obo is a great WR by any means, nor do I think he should be a starter. I like Rice, Baldwin, and Tate for what I believe they are going to contribute in 2012. But if that’s your top three with two more greenhorns as your 5th/6th (with one of those most likely inactive most Sundays), then you absolutely must have a guy like Obo thrown into the mix. I know Obo has had some key drops, but he’s had some key receptions too. It’s not like you expect him to be a #1 WR, you don’t. You expect him to be a good #4 (at least I do) and play very, very well on ST. You don’t keep too many guys down on the depth chart to be back-ups only and not contribute on ST, especially as a #4 or #5 WR. Add to that the fact that I don’t know how effective Lockette or Durham would be on ST, then it’s even more important that a back-up like Obo be around to play well on ST. It’s not like he’s just good on ST, he’s really, really good.

I expect BMW to have a good year if he is healthy. His strength is his size and positioning and he needs a QB who can put the ball to a spot and he can use his size to block out the defender which he did to near a probowl level with Hass as his QB. Flynn is very good with his touch in the short game and I think the 2 of them will work well together.

Good to see John McGrath try out for TE…hope he is not another casualty of a shrinking newspaper business, though.

I like the idea of Portis developing an injury and going on IR for a year (assuming he can keep his nose clean with the down time).

I love Lockette the Rocket! Didn’t notice any drops last year…just lack of playing time until the end of the season. Was at the Tardinal game when he made that incredible juggling catch…the same game where Obo dropped two homerun balls perfectly placed by TJack.

Coaches talked about Lockette dropping to many passes in training camp last year but I personally never saw it.
I understand Obo is good on special teams but with the depth of the team right now I personally would rather see them carry a young guy with potential then Obo. WR is a position where a lot of late round and undrafted players have gone on to be hall of fame players and I would rather see them keep a younger player like Dunham or Lockette who has upside then keep Obo.

Well, Thomas will be the starter as long as he’s around. It seems Trufant would be very competent backup to Thomas though. You’re not going to get the big hits, but you will get good coverage and run support. His years playing CB are quickly coming to an end, so the switch might be good for both him and the team.

Durham looks like the real wild card at WR. If healthy, he has the ability to stretch defenses and be more dynamic than Lockette will ever be.

I hope this is the last year of QB roulette with this team. You can’t continually change this position in the NFL. You gotta pick somebody and ride it out. Hasselbeck, then TJack. Then you sign the “big” free agent in Matt Flynn and you spend your third rounder on another QB. PC needs to figure out which is his guy and let the team ride it out. The NFL is not like college, where a QB leaves after 2 years and the next guy steps in. Maybe you can do that with LB’s or DLinemen. But not the QB spot. If Flynn is your QB of the future, why draft Wilson? I’d like this to be the last year of this QB instability.

It is so frustrating to see BMW get man handled by 5’9″ CB’s. With his size he should never get out jumped for a ball. He needs to go to the ball at times and not wait for the ball to come to him. Andre Johnson is similar in size and goes and gets the ball, Megatron goes and takes the ball. All these receivers have the size and BMW is not using his size to his advantage. BMW needs to play to his ability/size this year or watch the NFL on tv next year. I really hope he can step up this year…

piperfeltcher I disagree with your overall assessment of Trufant I feel he can do all the things you are saying he can’t especially be an effective tackler that’s how he hurt his shoulder years ago coming up to force the run. I feel he would be an excellent FS other than he’s not nearly as fast as ET he has the experience to diagnose plays and the coverage skills to play safety, as a back up. I also agree with all who think WR and LB are gonna be some fierce position battles with the outcome of final roster spots highly in doubt. Special Teams ability, I believe, will be the deciding factor there. I understand Portis has a bad background, so did Bruce Irvin among others on the team, and like Irvin Portis seems to have turned it around. The media love former bad guys who get it and forge a better life after making bad decisions. I’m willing to cut him a break if he can win games as an NFL QB. If he makes another mistake then heck yea send him down the road he has zero margin for error at this time.

RD–You’re kidding about Durham v. Lockette and the ability to stretch defenses, right? There is no way that Durham is even remotely in Lockette’s class regarding speed. By another player’s admission, Lockette is much faster than even Thomas.

If he is dropping balls in practice, obviously the coaches are not going to have confidence in him. However, in my mind, until I see him drop it during games a couple of times…he has no issues with dropping. The antithesis is Obomanu…who apparently has very good hands in practice, not so much in the games.

RDPoulsbo – Well, Thomas will be the starter as long as he’s around. It seems Trufant would be very competent backup to Thomas though. You’re not going to get the big hits, but you will get good coverage and run support. His years playing CB are quickly coming to an end, so the switch might be good for both him and the team.

With all do respect but you are seriously smoking crack if you think Trufant will back up Thomas. If Trufant can’t cover receivers at 5 yards how in the works is Trufant going to be able to cover a receiver running full speed down the field? To play Safety you have to be able to be quick on your feet and react in a second. Trufant right now would get burned more then usual and would have a highlight on ESPN. No body wanted Trufant if so he would of been picked up, the only reason he is back with the Hawks is depth because Thurmond will be on the PUP at the beginning of the year and the hawks are paying himthe vet minimum. You might think I don’t like Tru but I lived in Pullman and am a big WSU fan. Take the emotion out of a player you like and come down to reality on how good Tru is right now…

Lockette reminds me of Jordan Kent from a few years ago. He was out of the league for good when he was released. Two years ago all the rookies drafted would have been considered locks to make the team. As the Carroll/Schneider regime rolls on, it will become more and more difficult for players chosen in the latter rounds of the draft to make the team, example: New England.

tchristensen–Except that Lockette has a taller, bigger, faster body and has more of a football background…and has produced in with limited playing time in a real NFL game. I don’t think that Kent ever got to see the field. Other than that, they are the same.

“In fact, Obomanu, Baldwin and Lockette were so hungry during the players’ extended break following the season that they traveled to Alabama to workout with Jackson.”

Not only does this show how much these guys want to improve, but it also shows the leadership and respect that these players have for Tarvaris. I bet it is fairly unusual for players to travel across the country to work out like that. PC said that the way players interact with each other is important. I hope they can get this out of Flynn or Wilson.

dacmike: As a FS, he’d be mostly over the top coverage help and occasionally cover the slot where there are fewer route options. That’s opposed to cover than press coverage on a speed WR. Besides, that’s pretty much what he’ll be limited to doing by playing nickle CB. Not saying it would be a slam dunk, but definitely worth a good look given the lack of depth at FS right now.

wabubba67: It’s not just about speed. Yes, Lockette is much faster, but he’s just a one trick pony. Durham is much more polished at running routes, has the size and vertical to go up for the ball, and enough speed to make defenses honest. That makes him more of a weapon because it keeps defenses from playing him one dimensionally.

As for Obo, right now, he’s the most polished WR on the roster. Until one of the #4 or #5 WRs can take that starting role away from him, he’s the guy. Tate might be able to do it if he can become better at his route running, but he needs to prove to the coaches he’s ready before we get to see him do that on Sundays…just like how Lockette has to prove to PC that he won’t drop balls in practice before we get the chance to evaluate it in real games.

RD-Durham is supposedly a big, tall possession receiver. Like Mike Williams without the weight issues, hopefully. I was commenting on your claim about stretching a defense. There is nothing like speed to either open up the field for guys like Williams (if he’s still here), Durham, Tate, and Butler.

I don’t mind Obo, as his versatility to play all WR positions is valuable in terms of depth if there is an injury…and I really like him on special teams. I just don’t ever see him developing into much more than he already is.

You’re not going to get a Probowl player at every position. I’m fine with Obo for now, but would like to eventually see someone better take over. I thought drafting Floyd in the 1st round made more sense than people here gave credit for that very reason. Right now, they have Rice opposite Obo and he’s the guy who will most consistently stretch the field. The problem with a lot of those types are that they aren’t dynamic enough to be a consistent threat. They need to have just as much ability to run a comeback route and pick up an easy 5-7 yards for a 1st down as much as running a go route. It’s especially true for any WCO system.

Don’t discount Durham’s speed. He ran a 4.43 at his pro day. That would have put him in the top 15 among WRs in this year’s combine, and Indy is known for having a fast track.

So Durham is slower than our new DE? Just kidding. I remember that when he was drafted, the analysts were saying that he was a possible replacement for Williams…that is, that they had the same type of in game abilities.

Durham has the size of Williams, but with speed. If he stays healthy and continues to develop, he has a shot at becoming a starter. I really like his potential to be a dynamic player over Lockette’s. Right now, I see Lockette as good for a couple plays a game vs. Durham who could be good in several different situations, especially the red zone.

Irvin’s speed is just freak for a DE or even an OLB for that matter. You don’t come across those guys everyday. Hopefully, they’ll find a place for him to be productive this year. I’m pretty confident he’ll be a beast when he takes over as Leo.

Mike Williams isn’t fast, but he does have certain skills that could be useful for the team — and no, I don’t mean finishing the leftovers at the cafeteria. I’d like to keep these six: Rice, BMW, Tate, Baldwin, Obo and Lockette (unless Durham or Butler outperforms him).

Pick 6 WR’s: Rice, Baldwin, Tate, Lockette, Durham, Kearse. Boom. Done and done. I love Kearse! Though I reckon Obo keeps his NFL career going because of his aforementioned Special Teams play. Never been a fan of his, but there’s no denying his contributions, much to the chagrin of 98% of this fan base.

Interesting Carroll quote Duke on safety play. Actually it is usually a late adjustment by Kam and Earl. You can’t see it if you are watching on TV because they are generally focused on the QB pre-snap. They show a cover-2 look and based on formation they read a running formation, and one of them comes to the line of scrimmage. The safety that comes to the line of scrimmage is based on formation. I thought teams studied their tendencies late last season, and used formations where Earl would be the one to come to the line of scrimmage because they didn’t want to deal with Kam up there.

At TE we just need to find a beast of a blocker!! I am tired of Miller (or Carlson before him) being forced to stay in an block -He is far to valuable (both money and talent wise) to be asked to block all the time.

IMO he is far better than McCoy or Morrah catching passes and after the catch – cut them loose and get someone else in here – ANYONE

Tompage – That’s sort of true, but not exactly. To start, it’s really not a cover-2 look. The Mike gives that away almost immediately by aligning in, what would be, the strong side B gap. But as far as the safeties go, the FS should always be on the flex (weak side) of the formation. And in that case will play in the box, while the SS is over the top. (This is true for pro and jet formations. Trips, the FS rotates back). And you can absolutely see it on TV, by seeing which safety is cheating. They really don’t adjust late, or shouldn’t, ever, aside from motion.

Wow, what a star studded lineup on the O-line. Deuce Lutui, Lemuel Jean-Pierre, Frank Omiyale, Paul McQuistan and James Carpenter. Good thing our braintrust of Pete Carroll and John Schneider thought David DeCastro was crap and we couldn’t use him; because a 3rd round rated situational pass rusher was soooooooo much more important than protecting the quarterback and opening running lanes. Seahawks better keep 4 QB’s, three of them are going to end up on IR. Good thing the linebacker, wide receiver and cornerback corps all suck, or we’d really be in trouble.

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